Coming from the land of the rising sun, is quintet Interpose (Musea Records). Now I can't lie, I had never heard of this band before this review, and the CD had been "placed" under other CD's awaiting my review, but... what a great find! I owe the members of Interpose an apology for waiting so long to give this CD a listen.
Interpose is made up of fantastic musicians that have been playing together for almost twenty years. Featuring a female vocalist (singing in Japanese) and guitar virtuoso Kenji Tanaka, as well as guest and well known violin player Akihisa Tsuboy (KBB, String Arguments), Interpose will strike a chord with fans of bands like Outer Limits, UK, King Crimson, Gentle Giant and Yes.
Interpose's self titled CD is comprised of 5 long tracks that very much remind me of the great Prog Jazz-Rock era of the '70's. These 5 long pieces contain lots of long musical interludes that show off amazing progressive/symphonic jazz rock chops. Great melodies and impressive song structure make this a listen. Opening track, "Aircon" begins the progressive fest with some great instrumental action before vocalist, Sayuri Aruga joins the fray with her hauntingly beautiful vocal styling. The vocals being in Japanese don't distract the listener from the songs, at all. You almost don't even realize that they are even in Japanese! Each of these songs takes you to a different place musically, while all of the while being very cohesive. Segments of songs range from being almost pop to overly creative Prog Rock. The musicianship is just top notch. Technical brilliance, with full on sensibility.
Interpose have delivered a fantastic release with this self titled release. Any Prog Jazz-Rock fan will just eat this up. And Interpose also serves up a new guitar hero in the likes of Kenji Tanaka. Robert Fripp, Mike Stern & Allan Holdsworth would be proud of Tanaka's chops. All and all this is a very solid CD. Great musicianship, great melodies and great songs. What a wonderful surprise when you actually play the CD instead of moving it aside! What a concept!!
Track Listing
1) Aircon
2) Dayflower Part 1, Part 2
3) Zitensya
4) Koibumi
5) Last Sign
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